Man seriously injured in Grass Valley road rage incident

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A man sustained a serious head injury Saturday when he was knocked backwards to the ground in a fistfight apparently stemming from road rage.

Grass Valley Police Sgt. Clint Bates said the man, whose identity was not available, was airlifted to Sutter Roseville Medical Center after the 11 a.m. Saturday incident at the parking lot near Riebe’s Automotive Supply at 126 Idaho-Maryland Road and the adjacent 76 gas station.

A second man, whose name was also not available, later turned himself in at the Grass Valley Police Department, claiming the alleged assault was in self-defense, Bates said. Charges of assault and simple battery are pending, based on a review by the Nevada County District Attorney’s office, Bates added.

According to Bates, the argument began when the two men were traveling on westbound Idaho-Maryland Road and one vehicle cut off the other.

After that, both vehicles pulled over near the parking lot — one car at Riebe’s and the other closer to the 76 station.

“It’s unclear if both were doing business there or if they were just continuing the incident from the highway,” Bates said. “That’s undetermined.”

After exiting their cars, the two men confronted each other in the parking lot. One man punched the other, causing him to fall backwards and suffer a head injury, according to a bystander who witnessed the incident and who called police.

The man who allegedly threw the punch then left the scene and later turned himself in to police.

“He was not arrested,” Bates said. “Charges were sent to the DA’s office for review.”